Saros Backstops Preds to 3-0 Shutout Win Over Hurricanes

Juuse Saros made 33 saves in goal as the Nashville Predators shut out the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena.
With the win, the Predators improved to 40-30-8 on the season, moving them within one point behind the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

THE STORY

Mark Jankowski got things rolling with a shorthanded goal at 7:47 of the first period. After receiving the puck from Spencer Stastney, Jankowski skated in on a 2-on-1 rush and whipped a shot into the back of the net to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

Michael McCarron widened the lead to 2-0 exactly three minutes later, banking a shot from a tough angle in the corner at 10:47. The Predators carried the two-goal lead into the second period despite being outshot 14-8 in the first.

Brady Skjei appeared to cut Nashville's lead in half with 34 seconds remaining in the middle frame, but Nashville issued a coach's challenge for goaltender interference. Following video review, it was determined that Martin Necas made incidental contact with Saros as the puck crossed the goal line, and the goal was waved off.
Carolina appeared to score once again early in the third period when a Brent Burns wrister found the back of the net, but the goal was overturned due to a delayed offside call.
The Hurricanes pulled goaltender Frederik Andersen for the extra attacker with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, and Dante Fabbro scored into the empty net at 17:16 for the 3-0 final.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Shutout by Saros
Saros earned his second shutout of the season and the 20th of his NHL career. He also recorded a 38-save shutout on Jan. 9 at Ottawa.
Saros has enjoyed considerable success against the Hurricanes this season, making a franchise-record 64 saves on Jan. 5 at Carolina. It was tied for the third-most saves in a regular-season game in NHL history and was tied for the second-most in a regulation regular-season contest. (The NHL began tracking saves officially in 1955-56.) His 67 shots against were also the most in a game in Predators history.

Short(handed) King
Jankowski found the scoresheet on Thursday for the first time since Feb. 28 (1g vs. Pittsburgh). His first-period tally was his second shorthanded goal of the season, his first coming on Dec. 8 at Tampa Bay.
Thursday also marked Jankowski's first multipoint game of the season (1g-1a). He now has 10 points (6g-4a) in 46 games with Nashville in 2022-23.
Hot Lap for Livingstone
Jake Livingstone, who signed a one-year, entry-level contract with Nashville on March 29, skated in his first career NHL game Thursday. He is the sixth player to make his NHL debut with the Predators this season, joining Juuso Parssinen, Yaroslav Askarov, Luke Evangelista, Egor Afanasyev and Stastney.
The 23-year-old blueliner capped off a three-year career at Minnesota State University by being named to the All-CCHA First Team and claiming the conference's Defenseman of the Year award for the second straight season. Undrafted, Livingstone enjoyed a decorated collegiate career while with Minnesota State, tallying 80 points (21g-59a) and a +52 rating in 111 contests.

Quick Hits
- Stastney Finds the Scoresheet: Stastney recorded his first two career NHL points (2a) with assists on the goals by Jankowski and Fabbro. He has skated in four games for the Predators since making his NHL debut on April 1 vs. St. Louis. - Big Mac, Big Goal: McCarron's goal was his second of the season and first since Oct. 27 vs. St. Louis.

THEY SAID IT

McCarron on the win:
"It feels great. We've got a lot of young guys in here that are really hungry and we've got some great leadership in here that's keeping us together, so we've got a great group. We're resilient, we're finding ways to win multiple ways. Our PP and PK have been good for us and obviously our goaltending has been huge. So down the stretch, it's all we need to just to keep this going here."

Livingstone on making his NHL debut in a critical game for Nashville:
"It was huge. I want to help this team and be a part of this playoff push and hopefully we can get it done on the road here. These next two games are huge. So obviously it's exciting to be put into that situation. It's meaningful hockey, not just your first game, but it's also a chance to get close to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so everybody wants to do that."

Jankowski on Nashville gaining ground in the Wild Card race:
"It's huge. We know what position we're in and we take our guys against anyone. We're not backing down. We see who's across the ice and we're not backing down from anyone. We believe in this group no matter who we're playing against."

Saros on Nashville's final stretch of games:
"We've just got to stay in the moment, one period at a time. That's how we've kind of kept [ourselves] in the playoff race. We can't really overthink things, and we've just got to do our thing and believe it's going to be enough."

Head Coach John Hynes on the play of Saros:
"He obviously made some big saves at key times for us. [Carolina is] a team that throws a lot of pucks to the net and have a lot of traffic. He found pucks, and I thought he was really good with his rebound control. So there weren't a lot of second and third opportunities at the net front. Tonight I thought his puck play was a big difference in the game. [The Hurricanes] are number one in dump-ins, where they dump the puck more than any other team in the league. So if you don't have your goalie that can play the puck, a lot of times it gets you in trouble, and I thought his puck play tonight was a big difference for us. That's a part of his game that he really worked on over the last couple of years. And I think now it's really a factor in the game and tonight it certainly was."

Hynes on the win:
"The guys are committed to do what it takes to win. I think it starts with a foundation of good goaltending. When you have strong goaltending, it gives you a chance every night, and I think you need to build your game around that. I think our special teams have also been factors. Tonight specifically, the penalty kill was really important, and I think it's important down the stretch… I think it's just the commitment level of the group. When they're in situations where they have to defend, I think that they really respect the fact that they need to pay attention to detail and check hard and those areas of the ice. I think when you have a group of guys that play hard and they're hungry to win, they do the little things in the game that… gives you a chance to win. That's kind of throughout the lineup, regardless of the position or skill level. They play well as a pack."

UP NEXT

The Preds will begin their final road trip of the regular season with a Saturday night tilt against the Winnipeg Jets. The puck drops at 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.